why do we NOT hang water for the hens like we do w/ crumble/feed?

[anndee]

why do we NOT hang water feeders? is it just because spilling? i have a friend who is going to start with a few hens in spring, and i am fairly new as well, my gals i have had since june, they are doing well, but i am learning!!!
so when someone asks me a question i want to be sure i am not giving false information.
thanks,
anni

 

[aiwetir]

as i see it, they scratch at the food and toss it around and poop in it. i suppose they poo in the water, but i hang my water so that's not an issue either

 

[Reinbeau]

I don't hang it because it's just too difficult to deal with that way. I've got it up on blocks, it's easy enough for me to grab it to empty out the yuck they insist on depositing in it, and it's high enough that they can just sidle up to it to get a drink - it's at chest height for them. Now if I could just keep them from standing on it - yea, hanging it would help there, but having to hang it up full would be pretty difficult - it would slosh all over the place!

 

[willheveland]

I hang my waterers unless it is in the winter when it is on my heated base.
If your coop isn't level many times your water will run out unless it's hung. Will

 

[Portia]

I hang my water, keeps the chickens from roosting on it or fouling it with shavings (the chicks water is close to the floor and I have to clean it and put new water in daily because of both). Occasionally they will have a party and spill it all over, but that's more of the exception than the rule. I also hang the water that is in my range feeder. Btw, I hang the food also.

 

[c1tph]

I hang food and water away from the perches - no poop or litter gets in and they never spill it.

 

[patandchickens]

As you can see, I think the people in these parts are somewhere like 50/50 as to hanging your waterer or putting it on blocks

When hanging: less shavings kicked in, and unlevel or soft floor is not an issue. (However, if you want to put a vacuum waterer on blocks on unlevel ground, simply put it with the hole on the downhill (low) side and presto it will not spill

). Some people find it easier to deal with removing and refilling when hung.

When on blocks: more shavings kicked in UNLESS you have blocks high enough and placed on a 3' piece of plywood or something like that, in which case IME it's about the same. Waterer can't get swung and spilled like it can on a chain (although you can rig arrangements to somewhat stabilize a hanging waterer if you really want). SOme people find it easier to deal with removing and refilling when on blocks.

I put mine on blocks -- I don't want ANY spillage (humidifies coop, requires me to keep an eye out and clean it up) and my waterer stays clean enough the way I've got it. OTOH many people are equally satisfied with their hanging arrangments

JMObservation,

Pat

 

[spatcher]

I hang as well!

 

[MichiganWoods]

I just put out my hanging feeder and waterer for my chicks. They kept walking all over and pooping in the chick troughs. The hanging ones work much much better. Hardly any stuff in them, because most of the birds can't fit on the lip of the feeder!

 

[Reinbeau]

As for the levelness - our coop is level, hubby made sure of it, I'll bet it would be a problem, however, for anyone using an older building, or a dirt floored coop. I like the steadiness of it. My problem isn't with it hanging or not, it's if it's freezing up on us. I had purchased one of those new heated fonts, but decided it was too much of a hassle to bring electricity into the coop, so I'm taking it back and am going for two smaller waterers, I'll swap them out - sometimes three times a day, I know, but it's the easiest way out right now as far as I can see.